This invention relates to a portable hose reel for use, for example, in the closed loop operation of water powered devices. The hose reel in accordance with the invention is designed for use in firefighting applications where it is important to deploy a pair of hoses at the scene of a fire as fast as possible. A specific application of the hose reel of the invention is to provide the supply and return hoses for a water driven fan of the type disclosed in copending application Ser. No. 319,548, filed Mar. 6, 1989.
It is the general object of the invention to provide a portable hose reel of the indicated type which is light in weight, compact and capable of deploying two hoses at the same time.
Briefly stated, the portable hose reel in accordance with the invention comprises a reel made of a frame having a pair of circular side plates secured together in spaced apart, opposed relation to define an annular space therebetween for receiving wound hose and an axle mounted at the center of the frame to extend between the side plates on a transverse axis. The hose reel also includes a pair of hoses wound in a flattened condition one on top of the other within the space provided by said reel. The hose reel also comprises a transport means including a pair of arms rotatably mounted at one end to the axle and extending to a location radially outwardly from the outer rim of the side plates whereat a handle means is secured in an arrangement such that it can be gripped for the transporting of the hose reel.
A feature of the invention is the construction whereby the hose reel is made to be light in weight. For example, an actual embodiment of the invention for a pair of 50 foot
fire hoses having a 2 1/2 inch diameter weighs only about 33 pounds and is less than 30 inches in height.
Another feature of the invention is the design of the reel to provide a stowage area for the couplings on the inner ends of the hoses.
Another feature of the invention is the provision of a novel handle construction whereby the handle can be used in two positions, a first position for carrying or storing the hose reel with the reel and hoses held in a locked position and a second position for unreeling the hoses from the reel to deploy the same.